Casseoula

Cassoeula

Cassoeula is a traditional Lombardo winter time dish owing its name to the casserole where it is cooked. 

Another name for cassoeula is "bottaggio", from "barrel" or possibly from the French word ''potage" (soup), which many have a similar preparation. The dish, as it is currently prepared, existed by the beginning of the 20th century but there are more ancient variations are of an uncertain origin. Here are two are the most accredited hypotheses.

Cassoeula Origins

The first one connects cassoeula to the the popular cult to Saint Anthony the Abbot, celebrated on January 17, around the same time as the pig slaughtering season ends. The pieces of meat used for the cassoeula were the most economic ones and they were used to flavor cabbages, the basic winter staple of the rural folk of Lombardy in the last centuries.

The second origin story states that it is a native dish of Baroque origin using different types of meat and going through a simplification process by means of a reduction of ingredients. It is possible that the "poor" and "rich" versions, might have had different origins and with the passing of time, there might have been a convergence that turned the dish into the recipe known today.

Traditional Ingredients and Preparation

Cassoeula is a rather elaborate dish made for cold winter weather and so its many variants are all high in calories. The basic ingredient is cabbage harvested after the first winter frost, which shortens cooking times. Cassoeula traditionally makes use of the "poor" parts of the pig: trotters, rind, spare ribs, head, as well as highly-seasoned pork sausages.

Cassoeula ready to be served

As a very respected traditional recipe, every area in Lombardy has its own variant: Como varients do not use pig trotters but use head meat, in the "Pavesian" area only spare ribs are used, in the west area in Milan from the Lomellina to the Varesotto it is called "ragò" and it is prepared by using goose. Some ingredients have been introduced recently, such as the addition of a glass of white wine (it seems a Comascan variant) and the addition of spices or even tomato sauce.

Casseoula Recipe

Ingredients for 6 People:

• 500 gs. Cabbage
• 800 gs. Spare ribs
• 250 gs. Pork rinds (cleaned, washed, scraped)
• 1-2 Small seasoned pork sausages per person
• 300 gs. Sausage
• 2 Pig trotters (cleaned, washed and scraped)
• 1 Pig ear (cleaned, washed and scraped)
• Pig snout and tail (optional)
• 200 gs. Carrots
• 200 gs. Celery
• 100 gs. Onion
• 50 gs. Butter
• Glass of dry white wine (optional)
• 2-3 Ladles of beef or chicken stock
• Salt and pepper (optional)

Preparation:

Boil the trotters (cut into halves), pork rinds and ears and optional portions in a pot with hot water for about an hour. This will partially clear the pork fat away, making the final dish lighter and more digestible. In a big pot, on medium-low heat, put the butter and sauté the sliced onion. Add the pork rinds, ears, and spare ribs cut into small strips. Let them cook and brown for a few minutes, then add the celery and the carrots, add the wine and let it evaporate. Add a ladle of broth, salt and pepper and mix well. Cover the pot with a lid and cook on low heat for at least an hour. Check the process from time to time to prevent it from sticking by adding a little stock. In the meantime, clean and chop the cabbage, place in a pot with a a little water and cook on low heat for 5-10 minutes. Then add the cabbage to the casserole along with the sausage all the highly seasoned individual pork sausages.

Cover the pot and let it cook on medium heat for other 30 or 45 minutes, checking that the preparation doesn't stick to the pot bottom. From time to time you may need to skim the foam off the top of the cassoeula as it cooks.

When it is finished, cassoeula can be eaten by itself or it can be served with polenta.